Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Great Harwood St Bartholomew’s Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has demonstrated good overall effectiveness with a positive and welcoming environment for its pupils. The school has made substantial progress since its last inspection, showing marked improvement in its curriculum and educational standards. Most pupils are thriving, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, thanks to the school's high expectations and well-supported learning environment. The school fosters a strong culture of respect and well-being among students, with diverse curricular and extracurricular opportunities enhancing personal development. Despite these strengths, there remain areas that require further attention. In some subjects, the curriculum still needs refinement to ensure clarity in essential learning objectives, which can occasionally hinder pupil progression. Additionally, there are instances where assessment information isn't utilized effectively to fill learning gaps, impacting some pupils' achievements in specific areas, especially phonics recovery for early readers. Overall, while the school is on a positive trajectory, focusing on these areas will be crucial for maintaining and enhancing its success.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and well cared for at school.
• The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Improvements made to the curriculum have been substantial since the last inspection.
• Pupils exhibit good behavior and positive attitudes towards learning.
• The school fosters a strong culture of respect and inclusivity.
• Effective support provided for teachers to assist pupils with SEND.
• Strong emphasis on reading with well-matched resources to pupils' abilities.
• Teachers are delivering the curriculum well in most subjects.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clarity in what essential knowledge pupils must learn.
• Assessment information is not consistently used to address pupils' misconceptions.
• A small number of pupils are not supported effectively to catch up in phonics.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.6% of pupils at Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.8% of pupils at Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £7,423 and spent £7,588 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £104,000 (£577 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

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What is Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Ash Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB6 7QA.